The story begins with Amane Taichi, a 30-year-old unemployed man, at a job placement center. He feels a sense of inadequacy as his peers are advancing in their careers and lives while he struggles to find stable employment, facing age limits and a lack of full-time work experience. He is given a referral for a company and is tasked with sending in his resume and a photo.
Taichi's job interview is scheduled for later that day. While waiting, he witnesses a man at a bus stop attempting to secretly photograph a high school girl's skirt. Taichi intervenes, confronting the man. However, the situation quickly escalates when the man falsely accuses Taichi of being a pervert. A crowd gathers, and a police officer arrives, taking Taichi to the station for questioning. This incident causes him to miss his interview, and the company rescinds their offer.
Dejected, Taichi receives a summons from the female president of "Beside," a VTuber agency. She apologizes for the incident, explaining that the high school girl involved, who is a VTuber under her agency, caused the misunderstanding. The president, Maezawa Karen, offers Taichi compensation and invites him to the agency.
At the agency, Taichi meets the high school girl, who is revealed to be the VTuber "Kaihoshikiri" (real name Kono Mirai). She apologizes profusely for the false accusation. Taichi, needing work, asks if there are any job openings. Maezawa offers him a position as Kaihoshikiri's manager. Initially hesitant due to their awkward first meeting and Kaihoshikiri's apparent discomfort around men, Taichi accepts the offer, motivated by the salary and the opportunity.
On his first day as manager, Taichi reviews Kaihoshikiri's profile. She is a 16-year-old high school student with only two videos uploaded, yet she has amassed a significant following. Maezawa reveals that Kaihoshikiri is part of the "Unfruitful Generation" of VTubers, who are less popular than other cohorts. She also explains that Kaihoshikiri is traumatized by past negative experiences with men, including a previous manager who acted inappropriately. Maezawa tasks Taichi with helping Kaihoshikiri overcome her fear and start streaming regularly.
Taichi proposes a strategy to Kaihoshikiri: diversifying her content by trying different game genres and avoiding solely relying on popular trends. He emphasizes the importance of building her own brand and not being solely dependent on the "Beside" brand. He also suggests a radical change: discontinuing Super Chat readings, which he believes are a risky and time-consuming practice that can lead to mental strain and negative fan interactions. He proposes that he will curate the Super Chat messages to filter out problematic ones, allowing Kaihoshikiri to focus on her content.
Later, a crisis erupts. Maezawa informs Taichi that Kaihoshikiri is on the verge of a scandal. Two tweets, one from Kaihoshikiri and one from a popular male VTuber named "Seijo Tsurgi" (also known as "Tsurugi Ouji"), featuring similar photos of them eating the same meal at what appears to be the same location, have led to rumors of a romantic relationship. The agency enforces a strict no-dating policy, and such rumors can severely damage a VTuber's career. Taichi and Maezawa decide to address the situation by having Kaihoshikiri deny the rumors, while they investigate the origin of the photos.
